Pennsylvania salary transparency laws do not require private employers to publish pay ranges in job postings or disclose them to candidates during hiring. The strongest rule in the state is Philadelphia’s ban on asking about a candidate’s prior wages, which applies only within city limits. Everywhere else in Pennsylvania, your pay-related rights come from a mix of federal law, public-records rules for government jobs, and anti-discrimination statutes rather than any disclosure mandate.
What State Law Actually Requires
No Pennsylvania statute currently forces private employers to list salary ranges in job advertisements or to share them with applicants at any stage. Lawmakers have tried. House Bill 560, introduced during the 2025–2026 session, and Senate Bill 1045 would both amend the state’s Equal Pay Law to add pay range requirements.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. House Bill 560 Information As of this writing, neither has passed both chambers.
If HB 560 were enacted in its proposed form, employers with 15 or more employees would have to provide pay ranges to candidates who receive a job offer, promotion, or transfer, and notify current employees of their pay range in writing each year. Even then, the bill would not require salary ranges in the job posting itself.
The compensation law that is on the books, the Pennsylvania Equal Pay Law, prohibits paying different wages to employees of different sexes for comparable work requiring similar skill, effort, and responsibility.2Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Administration of Equal Pay Law That is a discrimination rule, not a transparency rule. It does not require any employer to say what any job pays. A willful violation entitles affected workers to unpaid wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages, and the court awards reasonable attorney’s fees.3New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code 43 P.S. 336.5 – Collection of Unpaid Wages Useful if you discover a disparity. No help if you cannot see what others earn in the first place.
Philadelphia’s Wage History Ban
Philadelphia’s Wage Equity Ordinance is the strongest pay-related protection in the state for job candidates. Under Philadelphia Code § 9-1131, employers, employment agencies, and their agents cannot ask candidates about their prior wages at any point in the hiring process.4American Legal Publishing Corporation. Philadelphia Code 9-1131 – Wage Equity The ban covers written applications, phone screens, and in-person interviews. A salary history question cannot appear on an application form even with a note calling the answer optional.5Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Wage Equity Ordinance Amended Regulation 7
The ordinance goes beyond the question itself. If an employer learns your prior salary through a background check or a reference call, they still cannot use that figure to set your starting pay unless you volunteered it yourself.4American Legal Publishing Corporation. Philadelphia Code 9-1131 – Wage Equity Retaliating against a candidate who refuses to share wage history is also prohibited.
Enforcement runs through the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, which investigates complaints and holds hearings. A confirmed violation can bring compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, costs, and injunctive relief.6City of Philadelphia. Wage Equity Ordinance FAQs One thing the ordinance does not do: require employers to post salary ranges. It stops old pay from being used against you; it does not force the employer to disclose the new number first.
Pittsburgh’s Much Narrower Rule
Pittsburgh passed its own salary history ban in 2017, but it reaches only city government positions. City agencies, departments, and offices cannot ask applicants about prior pay or rely on that information unless the applicant volunteered it. Private employers in Pittsburgh face no such restriction. If you are applying to a private company there, assume the employer can ask about your salary history unless statewide legislation changes that.
Federal Contractor Rules Add a Layer
If your Pennsylvania employer holds federal contracts, a separate protection kicks in. Executive Order 13665, signed in 2014, bars covered contractors from punishing employees or applicants who ask about, discuss, or share compensation information.7Federal Register. Government Contractors, Prohibitions Against Pay Secrecy Policies and Actions The implementing regulation requires contractors to include a nondiscrimination provision in employee handbooks and post notice of the right to discuss pay without retaliation.8eCFR. 41 CFR 60-1.35 – Contractor Obligations and Defenses to Violation of the Nondiscrimination Requirement for Compensation Disclosures
There is one carve-out. Employees whose essential duties include access to other people’s compensation data, such as HR staff or payroll administrators, can be disciplined for sharing it outside a formal complaint, investigation, or legal proceeding.8eCFR. 41 CFR 60-1.35 – Contractor Obligations and Defenses to Violation of the Nondiscrimination Requirement for Compensation Disclosures For everyone else at a federal contractor, pay secrecy policies are off limits. Given Pennsylvania’s defense, pharmaceutical, and technology contracting base, this covers a lot of workers. A handbook rule forbidding wage discussions at a federal contractor is likely unenforceable.
Your Right to Talk About Pay With Coworkers
Even without a federal contract, most private-sector workers in Pennsylvania can lawfully discuss pay with coworkers. Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act protects employees’ right to engage in concerted activities for mutual aid or protection, and the NLRB has long held that wage discussions fall within that right.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 157 – Right of Employees as to Organization, Collective Bargaining, Etc. You do not have to be in a union. Any policy that forbids salary discussions, requires management approval before you talk about pay, or threatens discipline for sharing wage information is unlawful.10National Labor Relations Board. Your Right to Discuss Wages
If an employer retaliates against you for discussing compensation, you can file an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB. The deadline is six months from the violation; miss it, and the Board will not process the charge.11National Labor Relations Board. Charge Against Labor Organization or Its Agents The Board can order the employer to stop enforcing the illegal policy, rescind discipline, and provide back pay or reinstatement.10National Labor Relations Board. Your Right to Discuss Wages
Who the NLRA Does Not Cover
Supervisors are excluded from the NLRA’s definition of “employee.” A supervisor is someone with authority to hire, fire, promote, discipline, or meaningfully direct other employees using independent judgment.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 152 – Definitions If that describes you, your employer can lawfully restrict you from discussing wages with subordinates. Agricultural workers, domestic workers, and independent contractors are also outside the Act’s coverage. Pay complaints tied to allegations of discrimination based on race, sex, or another protected class may still be shielded under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act or the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, even for a supervisor.
Government Job Salaries Are Public
If you are looking at a government position, you can usually see the pay before you apply. Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law makes the salary, actual compensation, and other payments to any public official or agency employee open records that cannot be withheld.13Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 65 P.S. 67.708 – Exceptions for Public Records The statute specifically defines financial records to include the salary and title of each agency employee.14Pennsylvania General Assembly. Right-to-Know Law This covers state agencies, counties, municipalities, school districts, and public universities.
Anyone can file a Right-to-Know request for this information, and many agencies publish salary schedules and pay grades online without requiring one. The law permits redaction of names for undercover law enforcement officers and personal identifiers like Social Security numbers, but the compensation figures themselves stay public.13Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 65 P.S. 67.708 – Exceptions for Public Records
Where to File if Your Rights Were Violated
Which agency hears your complaint depends on the rule the employer broke. For an unequal-pay claim under the Pennsylvania Equal Pay Law, you can file directly in court within two years of the violation. A successful claim recovers unpaid wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages, and attorney’s fees.3New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code 43 P.S. 336.5 – Collection of Unpaid Wages You can also ask the Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry to take an assignment of your wage claim and pursue it on your behalf, which spares you the upfront cost of hiring an attorney.
For other wage payment issues, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry accepts complaints through an online form or Form LLC-9, which can be faxed, emailed, or mailed to the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance in Harrisburg.15Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. File a Wage Payment and Collection Complaint The online version times out after 20 minutes, so gather your documentation first.
Violations of the Philadelphia Wage Equity Ordinance go to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, not the state. Pay secrecy retaliation under the NLRA goes to the NLRB, and the six-month clock runs from the date the employer took action against you, not the date you learned about it.